Enterprise Integration Patterns: Designing, Building, and Deploying Messaging Solutions

Chapter 5. Message Construction

Introduction

In Chapter 3, “Messaging Systems,” we discussed Message (66). When two applications want to exchange a piece of data, they do so by wrapping it in a message. Whereas a Message Channel (60) cannot transmit raw data per se, it can transmit the data wrapped in a message. Creating and sending a Message (66) raises several other issues.

Message intent—Messages are ultimately just bundles of data, but the sender can have different intentions for what it expects the receiver to do with the message. It can send a Command Message (145), specifying a function or method on the receiver that the sender wishes to invoke. The sender is telling the receiver what code to run. It can send a Document Message (147), ...